How many 80 lb bags of concrete are in a yard?

Forty-five. One 80 pound bag of QUIKRETE Concrete Mix yields 0.60 cubic feet, and a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so 27 divided by 0.60 is 45 bags. That is why bags stop making sense much past a yard: 45 bags is a long day with a mixer, and a ready-mix truck is cheaper at that point.

How many 60 lb or 40 lb bags are in a yard?

Sixty 60 pound bags, or ninety 40 pound bags. A 60 pound bag yields 0.45 cubic feet and a 40 pound bag 0.30, so a 27 cubic foot yard takes 27 over 0.45, which is 60, or 27 over 0.30, which is 90. The smaller the bag, the more to cut and pour for the same volume.

How many bags of concrete do I need?

Multiply length by width by thickness in feet, add about 10 percent waste, then divide by the bag yield. A 6 by 8 foot pad at 4 inches is 17.6 cubic feet with waste, which is 30 bags of 80 pound, 40 of 60 pound, or 59 of 40 pound. The calculator returns all three counts, the pallet count, and a bag-versus-truck verdict for the volume you enter.

How many bags of concrete are on a pallet?

About 42 for 80 pound bags, 56 for 60 pound, and 80 for 40 pound, which works out to roughly 3,300 pounds on a pallet either way. Past a pallet or two it is worth pricing a ready-mix truck against the bag total plus the mixer rental.

MATERIALFOREMAN · SHEET C-003 · CONCRETE WORKS

CALC-003 · DRAWING NO. C-003 · REV A

Concrete bag calculator.

Drafted to scale · cited sources · honest numbers

Enter the slab or footing dimensions and pick a bag size. The calculator returns the bag count for 40, 60, and 80 lb bags, the pallet count, a bag-cost range, and a straight bag-versus-ready-mix verdict, so the hand-mix or call-a-truck call is not a guess. Yields are the QUIKRETE published figures.

◈ DRAFTING PANEL · CONCRETE TAKEOFF · N.T.S. SHEET C-003 · REV A

Redline · scope notice Bagged concrete only. Models QUIKRETE Concrete Mix yields for 40, 60, and 80 lb bags. Does not size rebar, mesh, or forms, and does not evaluate subgrade or structural loading. Rectangles only; sum L-shapes and odd footings as separate runs. Round sonotube footings: size the volume on the concrete hub first. Past about a cubic yard, the yards page sizes the ready-mix order.

Note 01 · Field Procedure

How to measure for bags

Square the forms and record length and width in feet, inside the form boards. Round up to the nearest half foot for irregular edges.
Measure thickness in inches, from the top of the compacted gravel base to the top of the form board. Thickness is inches, not feet: a 4 in patio is 4, not 0.33.
Pick the bag size. One 80 lb bag yields 0.60 cubic feet, a 60 lb bag 0.45, a 40 lb bag 0.30. The bigger bag is cheaper per cubic foot; the smaller bag is lighter to carry.
For post holes, steps, and odd footings, run each piece as its own rectangle and add the bag counts. Do not average them into one slab.
Check the subgrade for a crown. If the middle dips, add half an inch to thickness. The crown is the top reason a bag count runs short.

Note 02 · Equation

The formula

bags = ⌈ ( L × W × T ÷ 12 ) × ( 1 + waste ÷ 100 ) ÷ y ⌉

L, Wlength and width in feet

Tthickness in inches

12inches per foot (converts T to feet)

ybag yield in ft³: 0.60 (80 lb), 0.45 (60 lb), 0.30 (40 lb)

⌈ ⌉ceiling function (round up to whole bag)

Note 03 · Sanity Ranges

Bag count by project size

T	Use case	Notes
3×3×4"	Step / small landing	~6 bags of 80 lb. Hand-mix in a wheelbarrow or tub.
6×8×4"	Shed or patio pad	~30 bags of 80 lb, one pallet. Rent a mixer for the day.
10×10×4"	Small slab	~62 bags, about 1.4 yd³. The bag-or-truck crossover.
12×20×4"	Patio	~147 bags. Truck territory; price ready-mix instead.

Note 04 · References

Sources

Authorities cited on this sheet

QUIKRETE 80 lb Concrete Mix Technical Data Sheet (DS 1101) · Yields verbatim: a 40 lb bag yields approximately 0.30 ft³, a 60 lb bag 0.45 ft³, an 80 lb bag 0.60 ft³. The basis for every bag count on this page. Also lists a 50 lb (0.375 ft³) and a regional 90 lb (0.675 ft³) size.
QUIKRETE Concrete Mix product line · Confirms the 40, 50, 60, and 80 lb bag sizes and the 4000 psi average compressive strength of the standard #1101 mix.
NRMCA Concrete in Practice information series · National Ready Mixed Concrete Association reference on ready-mix delivery, truck capacity, and short-load fees. Basis for the bag-versus-ready-mix crossover near one cubic yard.
ACI 332-20: Residential Code Requirements for Structural Concrete · American Concrete Institute. Minimum slab thicknesses and the 2 in minimum the QUIKRETE mix is rated for. The ACI store page is the canonical link.

Note 05 · Field Manual

What the sheet count does not tell you

A 6 by 8 shed pad, worked out

Take a 6 by 8 foot shed pad poured 4 inches thick. Volume is length times width times thickness in feet: 6 times 8 times one-third of a foot is 16 cubic feet, 17.6 with the 10 percent waste the trade orders for spillage and uneven subgrade. At the QUIKRETE yields that is 30 bags of 80 pound mix, 40 bags of 60 pound, or 59 bags of 40 pound. The 80 pound count fits on a single pallet, about 42 bags, and runs roughly 180 to 240 dollars. A ready-mix truck for the same pad lands around 185 to 325 dollars once the 1 yard floor and short-load fee are added, so the bags win on cost. They cost a day with a rented mixer, which is the real trade.

Bag size, yield, and the per-yard count

Bag size sets the count, not the volume. One 80 pound bag of QUIKRETE Concrete Mix yields 0.60 cubic feet, a 60 pound bag 0.45, and a 40 pound bag 0.30. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so it takes 45 bags of 80 pound, 60 bags of 60 pound, or 90 bags of 40 pound to fill one yard. The bigger bag is cheaper per cubic foot and means fewer to cut open. The smaller bag is lighter to carry and easier on the back. For most slabs the 80 pound bag is the move. For a repair, a post footing, or anyone who cannot swing a 60 pound lift, the 40 pound bag earns its premium.

Where bags lose to a truck

Bagged concrete has a ceiling. Past roughly 30 bags of 80 pound mix, about two thirds of a cubic yard, hand mixing is a brutal day and even a rented tow-behind mixer is fighting the volume. The crossover where ready-mix wins on both price and effort sits around one cubic yard, about 45 bags. Below a yard, bags win: no truck to schedule, no short-load fee, mix what the pour needs. Above a yard, a truck is cheaper per yard and far less work, even with the 50 to 150 dollar short-load fee on a small load. A pour that lands at two yards is the awkward middle: price 90 bags plus a mixer rental against the truck plus the fee before deciding.

Note 06 · Common Questions

Common questions

How many 80 lb bags of concrete are in a yard?: Forty-five. One 80 pound bag of QUIKRETE Concrete Mix yields 0.60 cubic feet, and a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so 27 divided by 0.60 is 45 bags. That is why bags stop making sense much past a yard: 45 bags is a long day with a mixer, and a ready-mix truck is cheaper at that point.
How many 60 lb or 40 lb bags are in a yard?: Sixty 60 pound bags, or ninety 40 pound bags. A 60 pound bag yields 0.45 cubic feet and a 40 pound bag 0.30, so a 27 cubic foot yard takes 27 over 0.45, which is 60, or 27 over 0.30, which is 90. The smaller the bag, the more to cut and pour for the same volume.
How many bags of concrete do I need?: Multiply length by width by thickness in feet, add about 10 percent waste, then divide by the bag yield. A 6 by 8 foot pad at 4 inches is 17.6 cubic feet with waste, which is 30 bags of 80 pound, 40 of 60 pound, or 59 of 40 pound. The calculator returns all three counts, the pallet count, and a bag-versus-truck verdict for the volume you enter.
How many bags of concrete are on a pallet?: About 42 for 80 pound bags, 56 for 60 pound, and 80 for 40 pound, which works out to roughly 3,300 pounds on a pallet either way. Past a pallet or two it is worth pricing a ready-mix truck against the bag total plus the mixer rental.
Is it cheaper to use bags or order ready-mix?: Under about a cubic yard, bags win on price and hassle: no short-load fee, no truck to schedule. Over a yard, ready-mix is cheaper per yard and far less work, even with the 50 to 150 dollar short-load fee on small loads. The crossover sits near one yard, roughly 45 bags of 80 pound mix. The calculator prints the verdict for your specific volume.

PROJ MATERIALFOREMAN

SHT C-003 / 014

REV A · 2026-06-07

DRAWN MF